Brooks Pierce attorney Stephen Hartzell spoke to the Triangle Business Journal regarding the new regulations surrounding commercial drone use. The administration ruled that businesses no longer need special permission to fly certain drone units, but users must follow a set of rules such as only flying during daylight hours and no higher than 400 feet in the air.

Hartzell said he feels most of the new rules were expected but that this ruling sets an important standard and foundation for drone operators. “This is the first step where the FAA is incorporating the lowest risk UAS (unmanned aerial systems) into the national airspace system,” he said.